1995 Isuzu Rodeo Reviews - Page 6 of 9

1995 Isuzu Rodeo from North America

Summary:

Great buy all around

Faults:

Timing belt tensioner went bad.

Driver's seat beginning to wear.

General Comments:

I have looked at all the reviews of the 1995 rodeos and I have noticed lots of people talking about the lifter and how the rodeo ticks/knocks, and mine isn't too bad about that. However, the other day on my way home from work, it started knocking really loudly, and I took it to a mechanic friend of mine and he said a rod was hitting my oil pan, I needed a new engine. Took it into a garage and got the same thing. The noise quit after I got up to about 2500 RPMs, though. I saw someone on here with the exact same problem and he said to have my engine flushed and everything would be OK--not true. I ended up finding out finally that it was my timing belt tensioner, and it had come loose and was hitting something, so the man I bought it from had that replaced and the timing belt. No problems since, and no prior problems other than the regular maintenance.

14th Mar 2005, 12:22

I'm having a problem with my 95 Rodeo V-6. The belt tensioner and/or the idler went bad causing it to knock just a little. The car would crank and run... just sounded funny. Bought timing belt kit from napa (belt and tensioner) put it on and aligned the marks correctly (I hope) but now the engine will not start. It winds very fast like there is no compression. Will have to check compression tonight and see if the timing marks got off somehow. Anyone have any ideas?

26th Jan 2006, 13:10

95 Rodeo 3.2 V6. Almost 270,000 miles and runs great. My Rodeo had the same knocking problems 30000 miles after I had PM work done and the belt/tensioner changed. Mechs couldn't figure it out. It knocked below 3000 RPMs. My tensioner failed. I had it replaced again. Also, the A/C compressor failed at about 200K on a very hot day stuck in traffic. I changed the starter and alternator at around 200K also.

I may be replacing the clutch slave cylinder shortly. The clutch is getting a little soft.

Just keep up the PM work, change the fluids regularly and it should treat you well. It's a great vehicle.

1995 Isuzu Rodeo S 3.2 from North America

Summary:

Good overall SUV at a reasonable price

Faults:

I have a possible answer to the starting problem other owners have been having. We had the same problem. The battery checked out fine. We replaced the starter and alternator and still could not get it to start reliably. Our mechanic changed out the contacts with Toyota contacts because he could not find Isuzu contacts. It works great now!

Most recently the water pump went out and caused the car to severely overheat. It melted the timing belt covers (upper left, upper right, and lower) which are not cheap to replace and you can only find at a dealership or salvage yard if you are lucky. The timing belt had to be replaced to since it was also badly damaged. The belt has been a nightmare trying to get back on correctly.

The power windows have a hard time going up and down.

The power locks "jump" up and down 3 or 4 times when trying to lock the car and it is very hot outside. Also, on one door the lock does not ever fully dis-engage, causing the door to not open. You have to manually pull the lock up.

The rear window has a hard time latching in very hot or very cold weather.

To replace the lights behind the speedometer/fuel indicator/RPM panel you have to take out the dashboard and take off the steering column. It's very inconvenient to get to, so replace all the lights while you have it taken apart.

The interior lights seem last for a few months and then burn out. I'm beginning to suspect an electrical problem because the CD changer shorted out also. However, this car survived Tropical Storm Allison a few years ago which could be the cause.

General Comments:

Overall I like the way the Rodeo handles on the road and the space inside the car.

The backseat has excellent leg room.

However, to fix anything on this car is usually an ordeal, and always expensive.